CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke played without Cooper Flagg for nearly 10 minutes in the first half, and as the Blue Devils' "ran out of gas," according to coach Jon Scheyer, they fumbled away a 15-point lead and went into the break up just one on North Carolina.

Scheyer's message when the team hit the locker room: "This is great."

For a team that had won five of its past six games by at least 30 points entering Saturday night's regular-season finale against the rival Tar Heels, Scheyer was more than happy to see Duke deal with some adversity -- something the Blue Devils did down the stretch, thundering to an 82-69 win over UNC to secure the No. 1 seed in next week's ACC tournament.

"We never want to be the hunted," Scheyer said. "Sometimes, when you talk too much about what a team is trying to do, you become the hunted. We want to be the hunters. We have to continue to do that. From here on out, it's end-of-season time if you lose. We have to be ready to go."

That adversity showed up with three early fouls on Flagg, including a charge that sent him to the bench for the final 3:18 of the half. With their centerpiece sidelined, the Blue Devils struggled to get stops, and UNC chipped away at a massive deficit to pull to within a point.

The second half opened with more scoring from the Tar Heels, who went up by seven with 15:44 left, but that's when the adversity found a proper adversary in an emotional Flagg.

Flagg played the second half with three fouls and still dominated on defense, racking up four blocks to key the Blue Devils' comeback. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. After several key plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk, he flexed and played to the hostile crowd.

"It's just about getting into a rhythm, getting into the game," Flagg said. "I think I'm at my best when I'm playing with energy, playing with a high motor. Having those energy plays, being high for my teammates, for myself, having that energy is contagious. I was trying to bring that in the second half."

UNC rarely attacked Flagg early in the second half, something he said was surprising.

"It would've been smart," Flagg said.

And yet, it might not have mattered. Scheyer said he'd have played Flagg regardless, telling his freshman to be aggressive but not "handsy."

"You worry about him playing hesitant and not being himself," Scheyer said. "For him to get four blocks while having the three fouls was big time. He was ready to play. He just wanted it almost too much."

Afterward, Scheyer made the case for Flagg to win national player of the year honors, noting the myriad ways he impacts a game -- something that was on display throughout Duke's second-half run Saturday.

"I don't think we've seen that in college in a long time," Scheyer said, "and that's what he does. But that's not what Cooper plays for."

Duke also got help from Maliq Brown, who delivered two big 3-pointers after missing three weeks because of a shoulder injury, and Caleb Foster, whose layup with 10:19 to go ignited a Duke run.

For Scheyer, the combination of bench production during Flagg's first-half exit and overcoming the second-half deficit proved again that his team can find ample ways to win.

For the Tar Heels, the loss ensures they'll be a hunter in the ACC tournament. After a 17-point loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 1, the Heels won seven of their next eight to return to the NCAA tournament bubble. But Saturday's loss likely has UNC on the outside looking in, needing to win at least a couple of conference tournament games -- and maybe the whole thing -- next week.

"I've been proud of how this team has reacted," Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said. "I don't think that's going to change at all. We'll regroup and be ready to go."

If he wants the Blue Devils to remain the hunters, Scheyer will likely need to avoid looking at the standings. Duke secured the ACC's regular-season title with the win, but combined with Auburn's 93-91 loss to Alabama on Saturday, it's likely the Blue Devils will also enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 team in the country.

"We've never talked about being No. 1 ... other than when this thing is all said and done," Scheyer said. "Just my luck to be No. 1 going into the postseason. But we make it about finishing what's right in front of us, doing our best in the moment, and if we do that, by the end, we want to be 1 when it's done."

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will not be charged following his arrest Friday night for an alleged assault in Williamson County, Texas, the district attorney there told the Austin American-Statesman on Saturday.

Worthy, 21, was booked into jail by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office for assault of a family or house member by impeding the breathing or circulation. Online records did not have any details of the arrest. The online court listing for the case was updated to "dismissed/declined" later Saturday.

Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick told the Statesman that his office declined to charge Worthy after speaking with multiple witnesses but said he will "continue to evaluate the case."

"After further investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and further discussion with a third-party witness, Mr. Worthy and his attorneys, this case is being declined at this time pending completion of the investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office," Dick told the Statesman. "Mr. Worthy and his lawyers are fully cooperating with this investigation."

The Chiefs said earlier Saturday that they were aware of Worthy's arrest and gathering information.

According to attorneys for the player, Worthy and the complainant, a woman, were in a dispute after he asked her to leave his residence. They said the woman caused property damage and scratched Worthy's face, among other allegations, but that the wide receiver told police he did not want to press charges.

"We will continue to cooperate with Williamson County authorities as we have full faith their thorough investigation will support Mr. Worthy's innocence," added the attorneys in a statement.

In Texas, impeding a family member's breathing or circulation is a third-degree felony and punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Worthy was the Chiefs' first-round draft pick in 2024. He caught 59 passes for 638 yards and scored nine touchdowns as a rookie.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LAS VEGAS -- Magomed Ankalaev entered the Octagon as public enemy No. 1 to fan favorite Alex Pereira and left as the new UFC light heavyweight champion Saturday night in the main event of UFC 313.

Ankalaev beat "Poatan" to the punch in the first half of the fight and smothered his offense with clinch work in the second half. His stifling performance put a disappointing end to Pereira's historic light heavyweight title run, sucking the air out of T-Mobile Arena in a unanimous decision: Two judges scored it 48-47 and a third judge had it 49-46.

"I don't think anything surprised me," Ankalaev said. "I think I could have done a better job in the fight, but something just wasn't working out. But anyway, I'm really happy that I won."

UFC president Dana White said afterward that an immediate rematch will "probably" happen.

Pereira (14-3), who rose to stardom over the past year and a half, had a chance to make history by becoming the first UFC fighter to successfully win a title fight five times in less than 500 days. He didn't get anything going, however, as Ankalaev (20-1-1) forced him to fight off his back foot for much of the bout. The pressure prevented Pereira from uncorking his signature left hook and was relegated to looking for counter opportunities, which Ankalaev never gave him.

Pereira deliberately targeted Ankalaev's legs with calf kicks in the opening round, hoping to compromise the challenger's mobility. It was a solid start as 11 of 14 leg kicks landed, but Ankalaev stayed on the front foot.

Ankalaev shifted the momentum in the second round as he surprisingly beat Pereira to the punch. A left hand stunned Pereira midway through the round and a right hand rocked him in the final seconds.

As the fight wore on and Pereira fell behind on the scorecards, Ankalaev shifted to crowding the champion with clinch work and utilizing the takedown threat to push Pereira against the cage fence and wear him down. The strategy worked, and Pereira appeared unsure in the corner before Round 5.

"We know that he puts people against the fence, and he plays that game, but giving him the win with a game plan like that, it kind of incentivizes people to do that against people," Pereira said in his postfight interview in the Octagon. "People might say it's a boring style, but when a guy gets a win doing that, it kind of makes people want to do that, too."

The style was more than effective, however, and by the final round, Ankalaev appeared headed for victory. Ankalaev played it safe by staying out of range of any significant punishment from a desperate Pereira. When Pereira finally landed the left hand, it didn't have much on it. The punch brought the crowd to its feet, but Ankalaev immediately swarmed in, clinched and stymied any momentum swing as the final seconds ticked off.

In his postfight news conference, Ankalaev disputed Pereira's assessment of the fight, saying he was the clear aggressor.

"I kept on moving forward, I kept on pressuring him, and he kept on running away from me," Ankalaev said. "For 20 minutes, this guy was running away from me. I heard at the end of the fight, he was saying that he wasn't sure why the victory was given to me. Who's supposed to be given the victory? I've been pressuring him the entire time, he was running away for 20 minutes and then he's wondering who's supposed to get the victory.

"Listen, I'm happy for a rematch if he wants a rematch, but then maybe in the rematch, he could fight for real and not just run away the entire time."

Pereira landed more total strikes than Ankalaev (108-102), but 48 of those strikes were leg kicks, which didn't affect the fight. Even though Ankalaev was 0-for-12 on takedown attempts, his control time of 5 minutes, 42 seconds was the difference in the fight.

Ankalaev's win ended a historic reign from Pereira. The Brazilian won the light heavyweight title in November 2023 and defended it three times in 2024 as he rapidly ascended to stardom with each knockout win more impressive than the last.

However, Ankalaev was always the most dangerous threat to Pereira, having gone unbeaten in the Octagon since dropping his UFC debut in 2018. When they finally got in the Octagon, Ankalaev showed why he is known as "The Boogeyman" of the 205-pound division.

Ankalaev extends his unbeaten streak at light heavyweight to 14, second in UFC history to Jon Jones.

Although the crowd booed the result, it was clear there was a new leader of the light heavyweights.

Magomed Ankalaev earned the biggest win of his UFC career, beating Alex Pereira to claim the UFC light heavyweight title in the main event during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Pereira was in control for the first round, but he appeared to fade as the fight went on, all while Ankalaev was picking up steam en route to a unanimous decision win. Ankalaev has won 14 consecutive fights.

Pereira entered the bout as ESPN's No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. This was his first loss in the UFC's 205-pound division.

In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje beat Rafael Fiziev by unanimous decision in a rematch of their closely contested March 2023 fight. Gaethje won the first fight by majority decision. Fiziev, who returned from injury, took this fight on short notice after Gaethje's original opponent, Dan Hooker, withdrew due to a hand injury.

Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Dre Waters break down all the action from UFC 313.

Free agent P.J. Tucker has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks on a 10-day contract, sources told ESPN on Saturday night.

Tucker, a 2021 NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, gives the Knicks an enforcer and frontcourt depth.

Tucker, 39, last played in May 2024 for the LA Clippers in their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. The 14-year NBA veteran stepped away from the team in October with the two sides in agreement to find him a different situation.

The Clippers eventually moved Tucker in a deal with the Utah Jazz last month. The Jazz then traded him to the Toronto Raptors, where he was waived ahead of the March 1 deadline for released players to be playoff-eligible.

Tucker held discussions with multiple teams since being waived before agreeing to a deal with the Knicks.

According to Second Spectrum, Tucker has made 704 corner 3-pointers over the past 12 seasons, the most in the NBA during that span. A proven playoff performer on both ends of the floor, Tucker has played 104 postseason games in his career.

The Knicks rank in the top 10 in corner 3-pointers and are last in bench scoring, per ESPN Research, making a depth signing in Tucker beneficial for both sides. Tucker is expected to be an option for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau across all frontcourt positions while providing support for Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa at center.

Tucker has averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals over his career and has shot 36.6% from 3-point range.

TORONTO -- Jamal Shead flipped the ball high off the glass at the buzzer and ended up at the bottom of a celebratory scrum with his Toronto Raptors teammates.

What a game winner -- until it wasn't.

Shead appeared to hit a winning layup at the buzzer against the Washington Wizards, but he and the Raptors -- along with their fans -- ended up deflated when a video review showed he got the shot off 0.1 seconds too late.

"Those are tough moments," Shead said after the Raptors' 118-117 loss on Saturday night. "You make it, it's a great moment. Sometimes you don't get the shot off in time and move on."

The final sequence started after the officials missed Shead stepping on the sideline trying to inbound the ball with 2.3 seconds left -- Washington's Khris Middleton tried to point it out -- before calling timeout. The Raptors set up a new play and A.J. Lawson inbounded the ball to Shead, who immediately drove the ball down the right side of the lane.

Shead managed to arc the ball high off the glass and in over two Wizards, sending the fans out of their seats and the Raptors in a pile on top of Shead.

The Wizards started dejectedly walking off the court as the Raptors celebrated, but the officials determined Shead just missed getting the shot off in time, rapidly shifting the emotions on both sides of the court.

"Tonight, luck was on their side," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Stephen Curry became the 26th player in NBA history to score 25,000 career points, reaching the milestone during the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 115-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" Curry yelled while running through the hallway to the locker room after a quick return to the court postgame.

And that was a tribute to teammate Draymond Green, who loves to yell "boom" after making a 3-pointer. Green, who hit the go-ahead 3 with 35 seconds left, secured the game ball for Curry.

"He's going to keep it for me. I heard he has a little bit of KD's memorabilia," Curry said about former teammate Kevin Durant.

Curry, who turns 37 next Friday, surpassed 25,000 with a 3-pointer at 8:32 of the third quarter, then received a warm ovation when he was recognized during a timeout with 5:42 to go.

He finished with 32 points -- pushing his total to 25,017 -- on 8-for-22 shooting and converted all 12 of his free throws as the Warriors moved to 11-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup this season.

Curry, who hit the mark in his 1,011th game, said he wasn't keeping track of his totals.

"It was a surprise, actually. I knew I was coming up on it but I didn't think about it until I heard it in game," he said. "There's a list, [broadcaster] Tim Roye told me after the game only 10 guys I think or now 10 guys that have done it with one franchise, so that's pretty special. And the names that are on that list are synonymous with basketball history, so that's pretty cool."

His next remarkable task is becoming the first NBA player to make 4,000 3-pointers. Curry made four Saturday and needs seven more.

"It's crazy, crazy," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It feels like 25,000 3s, actually. It's dynamite. Just night after night, and tonight was obviously not a great shooting night for him. But I loved that he played through fatigue and a physical defense and got to the line 12 times. He was brilliant on a night when his shot really wasn't there, he was still brilliant. That's the mark of a great player."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

BOSTON -- Saturday night marked the 1,314th game in the long and illustrious career of Boston Celtics center Al Horford. Now in his 18th NBA season, Horford long ago got past the point where a run-of-the-mill game in the middle of the season will change his demeanor much -- if at all.

But Saturday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers felt anything like a typical regular-season game in March. And Horford -- along with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and the rest of his teammates -- didn't treat it like one.

Horford played 37 minutes -- his second-highest total of the season -- and put up 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, all while being relentlessly targeted by the Lakers throughout what became a 111-101 Celtics victory.

The performance afforded his teammates the latest opportunity to lavish praise on their elder statesman, who is 38.

"He's one of one," Jayson Tatum said. "I'm the biggest Al Horford fan there is. I love that guy."

"At one point," Mazzulla said, "I wasn't coaching. I was just watching him. I was like, 'Man, this guy's a future Hall of Famer, and I get to watch this for free.' You have to be able to have that perspective."

Added Jaylen Brown: "Al is just old reliable. He's just the ultimate connector for us on both ends."

On a night when Mazzulla made it clear he wasn't messing around -- Tatum played more than 45 minutes and Brown played north of 41 -- it was Horford's 11 first-quarter minutes that were the clearest indication that the Celtics were determined to come out of this showdown against the LeBron James-Luka Doncic Lakers with a win.

He sprinted down the court on the break for a slam dunk in the first quarter, nearly (and accidentally) taking out Doncic in the process. And, according to Brown, the big man jokingly called for an alley-oop on another possession.

But it was Horford's tone-setting defense that really shined.

"You kind of have to prove yourself out there," Horford said, "and I don't mind doing that."

He certainly did.

James, Doncic and Austin Reaves -- the top three perimeter scorers for the Lakers, and among the best in the league -- isolated Horford 23 times on Saturday, per Second Spectrum tracking data. That's the second-most isolations against any player in a single game since player tracking began in the 2013-14 season.

The result? Horford allowed 0.39 points per direct play, per Second Spectrum, the second-best efficiency by any player to defend at least 15 isolations in a game in the past 12 seasons.

Overall, the Lakers shot 7-for-23 against Horford, with Doncic and James combining to go 3-for-14.

"For me, it's just trying to find a way to have an impact," Horford said. "These types of games always come down to those little details and defending and rebounding, and that's right up my alley. That's what I [like] to do. I was excited to be in this position, and that's my mindset in these games. It's always been, like, playing winning basketball. That's what I want to do."

Horford has been at the heart of a lot of winning in his two stints with the Celtics. The Celtics benefit from his ability as a center who can both spread the floor and be effective offensively, while also moving his feet on the perimeter and being able to adeptly protect the rim, is the kind of weapon few teams possess. And, especially with Jaxson Hayes sitting out with an injury for the Lakers, he gave Los Angeles fits at both ends of the court.

Another veteran, Jrue Holiday, returned after missing 10 days with an injury to the pinkie finger on his right (shooting) hand. Holiday played with a small brace on it and said he would be able to continue doing so moving forward. He finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds and an assist in 34 minutes.

That he returned Saturday was another sign of the way Boston approached this game -- as was Mazzulla playing Tatum, Brown and Horford so many minutes.

"I feel like there's moments that you give those guys chances to be able to be a part of that," Mazzulla said. "Everybody on this roster is playing for a legacy, and you do it together, and I felt like that was a great moment for them to be able to compete at a high level for as long as they wanted to.

"It's my way of saying that you better win. And I like watching them play."

Boston has now won 14 of its past 17 games. During that stretch, Boston -- which at 46-18 has the league's third-best record, behind the Cavaliers and Thunder -- has hosted Cleveland, the Denver Nuggets, the New York Knicks and the Lakers. The Celtics have led each of them by at least 20 points in those games.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma City will be at TD Garden for another potential NBA Finals preview. And unsurprisingly, that'll be another game Horford has circled on his calendar.

"I think it's good," Horford said of this stretch of games against elite competition. "It's good for us and it's good to play at this level of ball. [The Lakers] have been playing really well, won eight straight I think it was. So yeah, I think these types of games are good for us.

"I would just say I know what we have. I know when it's time to go, we'll be ready to go. And now we're just trying to get better as the season goes on."

BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Lakers' eight-game win streak came to an end Saturday against the Boston Celtics by a score of 111-101. But L.A. might have lost more than just the game.

Lakers star LeBron James exited with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter with what the team is calling a left groin strain and did not return.

James downplayed the injury, saying there was "not much concern" and vowing to "go day to day" in treating it.

Until he undergoes medical imaging, it is too early to project an accurate timetable for how long James could be out, sources told ESPN. However, one source said the initial thought is that the injury will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days.

"I think we just have to continue to play hard and play defense," Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the loss.

James had just scored with 7:05 remaining to pull the Lakers within seven points, down 92-85, after they trailed by as many as 22 points. James said the injury occurred when he pivoted around the Celtics' Jaylen Brown to score in the lane.

"Maybe extended it a little bit too much," James said.

The 22-year veteran said his mind immediately went to Christmas Day 2018, when he suffered a torn groin that caused him to miss the next 17 games, stifling L.A.'s momentum in his first season with the franchise.

"I've been there before, and I know what type of injury you're dealing with," James said.

When asked to compare Saturday's injury to that one, James replied: "No, it's not as bad as that. It's not as bad as that."

He then turned around and rapped his knuckles on the wooden locker behind him to not jinx himself with his prognosis.

When James left the floor to go back to the locker room for evaluation, the Lakers trailed by nine. With Luka Doncic leading the charge, scoring 14 of his 34 points in the fourth, L.A. was able to cut the Celtics lead to just four, before Boston pulled away for good.

"I looked at the score ... I was like, 'Oh s---,'" James said. "Those are moments you live for, especially in a game like this, not being out there. So, I was cheering on the guys while I was back here [in the locker room]."

James finished with 22 points on 11-for-23 shooting (0-for-6 from 3) with 14 rebounds and 9 assists.

"Obviously, to get injured at this time, those [groin] injuries are -- I don't want to say the worst, but they are tough to deal with," Doncic said. "So, just take his time. And we got to have as a team a next-man-up mentality."

Los Angeles is entering a treacherous stretch of its schedule, playing six contests in the next eight days -- including two games apiece against the Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Even with the loss, Los Angeles is 18-4 in its past 22 games, good for No. 3 in the Western Conference standings and just a half game behind No. 2 Denver.

James, 40, who has played in 58 out of the Lakers' 62 games through Saturday, has been a huge part of their success, averaging 25.1 points on 51.8% shooting (39.1% from 3), 8.5 assists and 8.1 rebounds.

However, Los Angeles also has been winning games with its team defense -- ranked No. 1 in efficiency in the league since Jan. 30 -- and with the on-ball contributions of Doncic and Austin Reaves.

"We've had many situations where a player deals with some type of injury or a trade or whatever it is and we've done a really good job of bouncing back," Reaves said. "And I don't expect anything else [now]."

James will continue to travel with the team on its four-game trip, with the Brooklyn Nets up next on Monday.

"We can compete versus anyone in this league," James said. "So, we'll be fine. We got to continue to build our habits. We're not where [the Celtics] are, the defending champion. And they've been playing basketball together for a long time. And they got a great chemistry and know what they want to do. We made an acquisition late in the season, and we're still trying to build. And we want to get full.

"That's the No. 1 objective for us: How we can get full and get all our guys together and see exactly what we look like."

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Pitcher Jacob deGrom and outfielder Wyatt Langford each made their first spring training appearance with the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

DeGrom struck out three while pitching two perfect innings against Kansas City. The right-hander threw 31 pitches, 21 for strikes.

Langford served as the designated hitter against a Royals split squad. He singled in the first and then walked and scored on Kevin Pillar's sacrifice fly in the fourth. He also grounded out in the fifth.

DeGrom, 36, has started only nine games for the Rangers since signing a five-year, $185 million contract in free agency in December 2022. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner had a 1.69 ERA in three September starts last year.

Langford had been slowed by a Grade 1 strain in his left oblique. The 23-year-old hit .253 with 16 homers, 74 RBI and 19 steals last year during his rookie season.

Langford was selected by Texas with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 amateur draft.